The present invention relates to apparatus for breaking in athletic gloves and, more particularly, to apparatus which operates to effect break in of a glove in a matter of minutes as compared to prolonged periods of days or even weeks where known methods and devices used for such purpose are employed.
Effective and proper use of gloves for baseball and softball playing requires that a glove used have a pocket formed in a glove palm part in which a player can catch a baseball or softball, and then reflexively fold a glove finger part over the caught ball to securely retain it. New leather baseball gloves have leather which is quite stiff to the point that the leather must be softened for play use. In forming the glove pocket, a common practice is for a user to throw a ball against the palm repeatedly over a period and until the stiff leather of the glove palm becomes softened and especially so as compared to the leather of the adjacent glove finger part. By having differential of stiffness and softness around the pocket, the user easily can bend the glove finger part relative to the pocket part.
It also is known to use an oil or water to aid or hasten completion of a softening or breaking in of an athletic glove.
Additionally, devices are known for use in shaping, e.g., a pocket of an athletic glove, these devices being passive in use, that is, a glove is inserted in a device to give a certain shape to the glove, or a glove is wrapped around a device and secured in a wrapped shape to be held that way for a time until a shape is produced in the glove.
Patents which disclose passive use devices for shaping athletic gloves include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,418,849; 4,765,519; 4,877,162 and 5,267,677. U.S. Pat. 1,425,969 discloses apparatus for the forming and shaping of fabric articles such as woolen dress gloves by heating a sewn or knit such article in a form with steam or other fluid.
In respect of breaking in leather athletic gloves, it is noted that while such is an activity most usually associated with the sports of baseball and softball, it has become a practice involved in the sport of ice hockey as well, where goalie's gloves are conditioned in the same manner as with baseball and softball gloves to enhance catching and holding of a hockey puck therewith.